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CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE USE OF RUBBERS AND POLYMERS IN BITUMEN BOUND PAVEMENT SURFACING MATERIALS

Interest in the utilisation of scrap rubber and in improving the service performance of bituminous paving materials has led to a reappraisal of the possible improvements to be gained by incorporating rubbers and polymers either in the paving bitumen or the premixed pavement material. The various types of synthetic and natural rubber are identified and means of dispersing them in bitumen are described. A review of the basic knowledge on the interaction between rubbers and bitumen is given and covers the degree of homogeneity desirable in rubber/bitumen blends, the effect of the rubber on the constitution of the bitumen, and the flow and deformation behaviour of blends and paving mixtures containing blends. The results of road trials of rubberised bitumen paving materials are considered and current use is described. Areas are listed where basic knowledge is lacking and further research required. (A) /TRRL/